The Ruins Part 3 (Series of The Ruins)

Chapter 49

Mal doesn't remember how she got in this building. She managed to escape the herd and she walked along the street and heard the massive explosion inside the walls. Her instincts made her run and find her in the wall, hoping to seek for Negan alive and well. Threshold to the run, there was a sudden smack across her head and she had faded to black. She is now on the ground, seeing her weapons across from the room. Her damaged hands and ankles are tied and is gagged. She searches the empty living room. She crawls across the threshold of the room to the table and grabs the knife, hiding it under her sleeve and starts to cut the ropes. As she does her job, she crawls over to the other side of the room to get to her gun that's open for her to get. She crawls across her butt wearily, struggling to move faster.

And her body is dragged back to the wall.

Beta slams Mal back to the same spot she was left and spat at her cheek. "You sneaky bitch," he said. "Oh, better take this out. You wouldn't be able to talk." He removes the gag off of her and he takes a seat, leaning back with an ankle casually balanced against his knee. He looked for all the world like he was lounging on a park bench, completely at ease, with every right to be just where he was, and Mal's first confused instinct was to apologize. Then, all at once, everything shifted into focus.

"What's to talk about," Mal said. It wasn't a question. And he didn't notice the knife she's using to cut slowly at the rope.

The man grinned at her, and he lifted the hand that was resting just out of sight below the table. He was holding a pistol, and he scratched his temple with it. "I'm a little surprised, uh, Negan. Whatever your real name is. I truly did not think the real Negan would have the guts to take the whole community in his hands." The man leaned back further in his chair, still smiling. "I understand that you are a friend of his."

Mal's jaw tightened. "There's no point in playin' games. Like you said, your people turned their backs on you."

Beta rapped the gun on the table in front of him in apparent glee, cackling. "They weren't my people. A few men and Alpha worked together in our own group, claiming our leadership against Jolene. Sure, she made the system rise, but when Kal and Riot went merry away and she let me trade with Ivar, I couldn't handle it anymore. You know, I never thought of you as Negan, but the way you said to me, upstanding to us and I can tell you were having a voice that wasn't yours. I'm thinkin' that maybe you know all about him, and know so much more than his own people ever know him. Yessiree. You a groupie? Oh, I imagine Negan having those lining up out the door, I'll tell you."

Mal exhaled slowly through her nose. She was calm. She had already made a mental checklist - the gun was sitting uselessly in its holster on the table in the entryway, she supposed she wouldn't get far against a gun swinging the chair in front of her. That left words as her only available weapon - she could try and draw this out, but she supposed Beta wouldn't sit idly chatting while Negan pieced together what was happening and kicked in the door. What Mal needed was for Beta to make the mistake of getting too close. She needed either to make her angry or to make him believe that Mal was not a threat. "And your point? I'm a good friend of Negan. Knowing so much of a friend is a bad thing?" She repeated softly, keeping her tone light and curious.

Beta smiled pleasantly up at her again. "I think you're a special little friend. I'm here to kill you. You gotta know that."

Mal nodded agreeably. "Sure. But why? You got away. Why would you come back here? Negan knew you were comin' as soon as you got close. All of the Saviors are on your tail, and god knows who else besides. Negan does seem to have a lot of connections." Mal quirked her head at him, crinkling her forehead as if puzzling something out. "You're never gonna get away again. This is a suicide mission. Why go on a suicide mission, Beta?"